Archive Result

Soundfile 19960328GRBH3P

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Bloomfield Hills

Topic Three Principles of the Path

Transcriber Jill Neuwirth

Date 1/07/2020

Good evening and welcome. We’re fortunate enough to be able to extend two more Thursdays been tonight and next will be on the fourth. And fourth will be the last, fourth will be the last Thursday here for the time being. And it is just the night before the Allen Ginsberg and Patti Smith doing the benefit for Jewel Heart in Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor the next Friday so the Thursday will be the eve of that. So I think Allen is coming back from Europe probably that day if he’s not too tired he will be here. Next Thursday. If he’s not too tired or he was- do you know when is he coming in? You don’t know, okay. Because there are a couple of people who are doing the, who are interested the Beat Generation and a Buddhist somebody, some young man’s talking to me just now. Where did he go? Oh, here you are. So if he’s not too tired or something he will be here next Thursday and also if he’s arrived after that, then that’s different issue. Okay, then that’s that. Do I have any more, anything, anything to be announced, I don’t see, Deb is here? Go ahead David. Audience: Allen Ginsberg and Patti Smith benefit is a week from Friday the fifth at 8:00pm at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor. And there’s ten dollar tickets and I have the best tickets outside of the $50 tickets (Audio cuts) [0:01:58.7] Rimpoche: Okay. Anything else? I don’t see anybody here to have them make any announcement or anything. Can I get one of you, yeah, that’s- I don’t need that. Thank you. What? Audience: (Inaudible) [0:02:19.8] Rimpoche: Yeah, please.

[0:02:22.1] And Three Principles of the Path we talked here. What are the Three Principles of the Path? Principle one, seeking a freedom. Freedom from negative emotions. The reasons why we need to seek freedom from the negative emotions because negative emotion is the- incidentally, this is my brother who had come, just come from Tibet. (Laughing and clapping) And he just come from Tibet and he is, he is making his living in Tibet by taking photographs so I hope if he take a couple of snapshots I hope you forgive. (Laughs) So that’s that. So what we been talking here the principles in the spiritual path. It is, it’s call it Tibetan Buddhism and it’s very interesting the, the night when Aura was here, and I wasn’t here that night, and incidentally I hope you enjoy her talk and been helpful. She’s wonderful and terrific.

[0:03:56.2] And so, that night I was in Nebraska and I was talking in Nebraska because we do have Jewel Heart Nebraska and go up in- and I’ve not been able to go there for long time though I really try to go every branch of the Jewel Heart, wherever it is, at least every second month or at least in third month. But I have not been to Jewel the, Nebraska for about four months or maybe even five you know it’s been very long. So just cannot afford to, to, to cancel that so I went at Nebraska. I talked the same thing what you heard here. And when I talked the same thing and it’s not the love and compassion, but basically more important in this, in the first principle. And then a gentlemen got up, and gentleman got up in the middle, and walk right up to the microphone in the middle you know and the question he walked right up to there and he gave long lecture sort of question. And at the end he says, why do attribute all these things that you said to Buddha? He said as far as I know, he said, all the Hindu traditions says the same thing and Prophet Muhammad teaches the same thing, and the Jesus also said the same thing, and why did you attribute that to Buddha and why you call that is Buddhism? So my answer, I told him, because I only know Buddhism, nothing else. (Laughing)

[0:05:36.8] And that’s the truth, that’s the only I know, nothing else I know. So I don’t have any other answer beside than that. So, so that is, that’s it. So, it is you have to think, I’m talking to you as a Buddhism and you can, you can take that as your spiritual path, doesn’t matter. The principle in this, the bottom line in this making a difference to the individual life. Finding way out from the difficulties, problems, and the sufferings that we face and that is bottom line. Whether it’s carries label of Buddhism, or Judaism, or whatever you know, it is not important to me. It is the really important is making difference to the people’s life. So when you, when you come out this there and Buddhism, instead of coming out in the traditionally you put up Buddha’s picture and put up incense in front of them and started singing and chanting and all this. Instead of that, if you’re coming out the principle what the Buddha really felt, experienced, and how he developed, and how he had overcome the difficulties and if you look, if you look from that angle and if we try to, try to get the benefit and that is become spiritual path to all of us. And that’s what we’re trying to do.

[0:07:12.4] That is how great many Tibetan teachers also take out the three principles separately rather than, than sort of all combined together. But I don’t think Tibetan Buddhism doesn’t have rituals and all sorts of things, there are plenty of them. And also don’t think that doesn’t help, a because they do. They do help lot too. But we’re not sharing that with you, we’re simply sharing the principles how you can, can actually it is how, how does one can make one’s life better? That’s what it is. So the first principle we have the seeking freedom. Freedom, now I’m not going to repeat. Freedom from what? Freedom from the negative emotions. Why? Because negative emotions create negative karma which causes the sufferings and difficulties in, not only this life in future lifes too and it had been causing tremendous amount of difficulties in our life after life all the time. All the time it is, no question. No question. People go through with a lot of emotional, physical, mental difficulties and as many of them said I didn’t really do anything bad. It’s not fair for me to have to suffer like this. It’s not the question of fair or not fair, it’s question that we created the cause and we are becoming responsible.

[0:08:46.5] And when we’re enjoying life, when you when you are fine with our life, we don’t do that, we don’t say that. But we’re enjoying it. It also our personal responsibility what we did good things, we are enjoying the result, what we did bad things, we are suffering. That’s, that’s that. So that’s what it means. We are responsible for our own deeds. That basically bottom line, that is it. So since that is the main point, so the principle number one is extremely important. Seeking freedom. Why we call it seeking freedom? Because we try to, we know it is different by now all of you know those negative emotions are the cause of suffering. We all know, no question. But you can’t help it. We can’t help it, we get that negative emotional attacks. Whatever it is, you know. I was talking to a friend today and I’m saying it is attachment fits, you’re getting. Attachment fits, fits you get, you know. You know, some epilepsies get fits, you know, like that. So you get attachment fits and anger fits that’s, that’s is what. Even you know it’s not good. You know it is create difficulty and as from the knowledge point of view you don’t have a problem of knowing that but still you can’t help it, you can’t correct.

[0:10:24.9] You do the same thing, you repeat the same thing, we do the same thing. So that’s why we need to seek freedom from them you need to get. Otherwise if knowledge is enough, that’s great but then very, very easy, but it’s not. Knowledge is the first step knowing. And the second step is dealing with that because knowing alone will not stop, it will continue. When it’s continue that is big problem. So we, that’s why we have to seeking freedom meaning analyzing them, understanding it, and how it’s growing within the us. Try to see it how it’s coming, try to block it even before it comes, if you can. Way and how you do it, do it by first afterwards knowing it, recognizing it a difficulty and all of them and doesn’t matter whether even it’s late, very late, doesn’t matter. Use the opportunity and recognize backwards it is, it is bad and then second time, try to be on time, third time, fourth time, fifth time. Finally what you try to do is try to do the even before it rises try to stop. When you could do that you are getting quite good. That is only through practice. Or, practice or, or combination of doing prayers, saying mantras, and practice together, whatever it is.

[0:12:07.8] So whatever works to the individual, doesn’t matter. Whatever helps you, do it. We need all the help wherever, whatever we could get it. That is absolutely true. Main point is, main point is, main point is it should make a difference to your life. Difference in the sense, sense negative emotions should not have that much influence. The negative emotions may have influence, but the influence should not be fits they throw. Are you with me? So that’s why the principle number one. So the principle number one is, actually it is relevant to the individual in one’s individual life, and dealing with our self is the principle number one. The principle number two is love and compassion that also dealing with our self. Dealing with our self, no question it’s dealing with our self. We also deal with others too. So but, one most important thing love compassion it is such a beautiful word I’m sure Aura talked. It is such a beautiful word and people like it. People will enjoying it, it is very romantic, nice word where everybody would like to associate with that, right? Everyone- nobody would like, don’t like to associate with love and compassion. Whoever you might be.

[0:13:40.9] Whether you are, whatever your profession may be, whether you’re a business person, or spiritual practitioners, or, or mechanical who works with the, whatever, you know automobile, or whatever it may be, you may be a student or whatever you might be, be. And everybody would like to associate themselves with love and compassion because it is nice one. People like it. It’s very romantic. No one will say, I don’t care about love and compassion. There won’t be anybody. Will there be anybody who doesn’t care love and compassion? I don’t see any hands. So hopefully there is nobody. I was going there rather quickly because if, if I see one hand I’ll be in the soup. (Laughing) That’s why I try to run a little faster. So anyway, so everybody would like to associated with that and believe me, in the west and the, the good nature of Americans, there are very strong love and compassion with everybody. Really true. You know that. And you know that very well. You do.

[0:14:57.0] You do. I mean I am there person, I came out of Tibet as a refugee in 1959 and when I just crossed the Himalaya mountains and landed in the, the eastern India at great difficulty place and where you have no food, no cloth, nothing, no medication, nothing. Yet you been walking through the, the, the high Himalayan snow mountain peaks and came down to very low, tropical, hot Indian land and goes up and down and in that, and when you’re in difficulty position and when you suddenly see there’s some people standing on the roadside, try to give you a cup of hot tea or the vitamin pills or some kind of blanket put on your shoulder, or try to give you some food, begin to wonder, where these people come from where those people, what is this? And so we I begin to learn that’s called the volunteer peoples from the west the, the, the aid for the refuge from the west is begin to internalize(?) [0:16:24.0] in that, and when you receiving end of that, it’s a very helpful and very appreciative. So I always remain some kind of very grateful in that throughout my life thereafter. That is when I was about 19 or 20 and now I’m in year of 60s so I have not forgotten that.

[0:16:45.4] So that love and compassion, that is the out of the- nobody knows in the west, nobody knows any one of us. I mean they just heard some kind of the hundred thousand Tibetans been shutted out of their homeland and walking across the Himalayas and that’s all you have heard. And people started writing the checks, and people started sending their clothes and everything. Food, clothes, and money comes through medicine. Very helpful. So that shows there is a caring, a compassion within the each and every individual, we do. And also, we must also acknowledge, and we also have to acknowledge that when we see in the television the difficulties that people go through with the Somalia and Bosnia and, and then few years ago in Africa one of them, Ethiopia. And all when we see the children difficulties in the television and people’s heart just pulled out, and they just write, whatever you know, the first thing you touch you touch your wallet and write your checks and that’s what we people do. And I’ve seen it people doing that all the time. So it is genuine caring, genuine compassion, and kindness, kindness within all the Americans have that.

[0:18:22.6] It is, it is very true. We have to acknowledge that and appreciate that each one of us have that. It’s not that you have so much extra money, we know that very well. We always struggle to pay our bills all the time. But whatever it is you know how to sharing things you know? And that’s very great thing. It shows that is care, and compassion, and love within deep down in heart of each and every one of us. We should really appreciate that and, should I say we should congratulate our self? I don’t know about that. But you should appreciate it. At the same time, at the same time we must also appreciate that we could make difference. It’s not only the, it’s not only the American people who have that kindness and compassion. There are millions of others. But even they have their caring and compassion but they could not do anything, they could not make any difference, even they pay, like you know like an Indian guy who tried to pay hundred rupees out will be probably be nothing, it is probably be what, eight, hundred rupees are do be like two or three dollars, and doesn’t reach that far. The Americans we have the opportunity to make that difference we should must also appreciate that too.

[0:20:03.8] Having said all this, and is that the only thing what we can do? And that is another problem I have is, the moment we said we have compassion and caring you must help. And the first thing I notice alright I can help you, how much you want. You just sort of touch the, the checkbook and that’s not the only point. There’s more than that too. There’s more than that we- our helping other people should not be limited to giving a money, or donations, or all this. Our love and compassion can make big difference to our self and each and every one of them by doing, not only by giving money by doing different. By making difference to their life. What is, what we know is we know only how does money make difference, but there’s other ways and means of it. I’m not try to encourage you, like you know send your good thought. I’m not thinking that. If you’re thinking in those lines, it’s not. It’s more than that you can do. You can do whatever the knowledge and understanding of life difficulties, sharing that. Caring for the other people.

[0:21:20.2] Whatever the ways and means you can make difference in the others’ life, that’s what we can do. That’s much more helpful than that of, there’s much more helpful than that of just giving little money. Even Buddha. Buddha recommended very strongly the generosity. Generosity’s very strongly recommended. But Buddha divided generosity in three types of generosity. Generosity of material. Generosity of way and how one can solve one’s problem, showing the way. Dharma way. That is the most important generosity. Generosity of giving protection from the fear. It is another most important generosity. So generosity’s also three different categories, not only in one. So we must learn that. We must pick up that, make best use of it as much as the we do, you know the moment we say need help we touch the wallet. So that’s not the only answer. And that generosity you must be to yourself, too. Love compassion the first, the object of the love and compassion is our self, not others. Good old American saying says, charity begins at home. It is. Love compassion must begin with our self.

[0:22:52.9] Don’t look for others. The moment we say love and compassion, tha de (Quotes in Tibetan) [0:22:58.9] You know the love compassion must begin our self. You know, one of the greatest Buddhist saint and scholar who came to Tibet in 1100s, a Indian Bengalian saint and scholar named Atisha. Atisha says rang gyu (Quotes in Tibetan) [0:23:27.2] And there’s no way you can be, be you can share a generosity with anybody else, or you can be there’s no way you can share your love compassion with anybody else unless and until you know how to share your love to yourself and your compassion to yourself. It does sounds funny to you? Oh thank you, at least. (Audience laughs) Because normally I thought people sees, love compassion means looking outwardly for the others. And so you know, that’s a lot of people look that way. So I’m glad to know the people here doesn’t think that way. So the first object of the love compassion is our self. We must have compassion to our self, we must have love to our self. So loving to yourself, having compassion to yourself, what does that mean? What does that mean? Lot of people hate yourself, right? Lot of people think, I hate myself. I heard that so many times. Everybody says I hate myself.

[0:24:58.5] So that’s not the, that’s not the right thing. Instead of that, you must love yourself. You must appreciate your qualities, you must appreciate your capability. You must appreciate your human life itself. And human capability what we have. And we must also take the opportunity what we have. That is important. And now the question what I like to deal, I don’t want spend so much time on love and compassion, but question what I like to deal is, what is difference between love and compassion? And this is important. What is the difference between love and compassion? What is love, what is compassion? Interesting. I had the same question and I asked one of my teacher late Kyabje Ling Rimpoche, who’s the senior teacher to The Dalai Lama. And we’re having a dinner, like some meal there, and I did ask him. I said, what is this business of love and compassion? Love and compassion, something I said. And he sort of look around and just give me the answer and was eating so he had a napkin in hand. And he showed me the napkin, and he sort of showed me the napkin, and sort of went on like this. This is love and he turned around and said this is compassion. That’s that. So you think it is Zen, right? Very Zen. No. But I was understanding, what I’m understanding out of that it is one principle mind, one consciousness, one mind. One mind with the two different aspects. This aspect and that aspect.

[0:27:01.2] The aspects of the love is really, it is caring for. Caring. I care for you. I’ll make you happy. It is wishing mind. Mind that makes the individual happy, wishing to make that person happy, whether it’s this person, or that person, doesn’t matter. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely wishing that person happy. That is love. So when somebody tells you I love you. We say that all the time, right? We say that all the time with the number of different reasons. Number of different reasons we say that. But what is really meaning, is I love you should be telling you I like you as and whatever you are, and I would like to make you happy and joyful. It’s sort of commitment, whatever it may be, I’ll make you happy and joyful. There is two aspects of mind. Mind of accepting that individual whatever the condition, and whatever the shape condition, whatever it might be. Accepting it, and committing yourself making that other person happy. Whatever it may be. So these are the two aspects of the mind, one asp- I mean the one mind, the love aspects will have acceptance and making it happy combined together makes love, I love you. That’s really the love is.

[0:29:03.8] Compassion is a very similar to that, but aspects of the compassion change slightly from the love. Compassion is really caring how best way I can separate you from that problems and misery experience that you’re having. How best way I can separate that. So by doing the separation by the compassion, then what you’re getting is turning the napkin back and getting the love to the individual. Making that person happy and joyful by removing the suffering and the pains. Whatever it may takes. So these are the two different aspects of the napkin, the front napkin, and the back of the napkin, but it’s a one napkin which means one mind with two different aspects. Get it? You’re clear or you want another napkin? (Laughing) So, so basically a there’s a, there’s unconditional love, and ultimate compassion, and bodhimind the true, the second part principle is the complete bodhimind and all this. But in our level, at this moment talking about the bodhimind might not make much sense at this moment. So this moment what we really have to focus is the love and compassion, knowing knowledge, building knowledge of what love is what compassion is, how, how it feels, how do you think about it, and how long you should meditate on that, and how does one should do all these are what we need to know.

[0:31:00.2] So the basically, that is love and that is compassion and our practice on love and compassion has to begin from there. Though Buddhism will tell you, you should meditate love compassion to all sentient beings everywhere, wherever it may be. But charity must begin at the home. Begin with yourself and your companion, your children, your near, dear, loving, caring family so and forth. It begins from there. You cannot go on and say, right from the beginning it says, all sentient beings here I am to share my love. Doesn’t work. You can, you can, you can become love and light. Can get nicely wonderful things and everything, whatever it may be how wonderful it is you know. That is I- Trungpa(?) [0:32:01.0] Rimpoche choose call that love and light. So it’s right. Love and light will not ground you. Even love and compassion, one must ground it. That is very important. A number of people will tell me, what you mean by grounding, grounding, grounding? Grounding here really means you must deal with yourself, whether it is seeking freedom or love and compassion, deal with your own mind, deal with the real person, deal with the person that you see every day, day in and day out, night in and night out, the person that irritates you. Person that’s, that’s what it means grounding.

[0:32:43.5] Deal with the actual human beings face to face. Name to name. That is meaning grounding love and compassion. If you sit in nice meditation cushion and sending your wonderful thoughts- I’m not criticizing that, okay? Way I talk sometimes looks like I’m criticizing. People may think that way, I’m not. I’m making it categorically, absolutely clear when you’re sending good thoughts that has also has lot of advantages. But way and how I’m talking so I looks as, looks as though I’m looking down on that point. But what you really do, is, is, is when you’re sitting down and sending that your wonderful thoughts to the nameless, faceless dots, what we call it all sentient beings. Are you with me? Okay. So that’s wonderful. No problem. But then you go with somebody with a name and a face and you tell, yeah people say, no. So then you get into problem. Then you get into problem. And that has been, a not been practical that’s what I mean. That’s I mean not been grounded.

[0:34:01.3] So love compassion must begin with people you deal with every day. The workers that working for you irritating you. The companions. The family members, these, you know people who disagree with you, who try to push their own point across to you. And these are the people, these are the real people, real face, real name with a real mind really disagree with you. And that’s where you begin love and compassion. That means grounding. Understood? At least that’s what I think. If you disagree, you have every right. To be disagree. That’s what it is. So, so if you meditate, if you want to meditate, you can spend few minutes that wonderful love and light nameless faceless dots and sending good thoughts and everybody happy and wonderful and good. That’s fine. Then deal with the problems that you face. Disagreement, argument, and then you know, and then you think about it, you think about it. You know, when you really begin to think about it, you want use every single sharpest weapon that you can to cut the other one, right? Don’t we? Huh? Don’t we. Even the word what you use, you have to use most sort of sharp and cutting, sharp edge word the cutting the other person into two pieces. That’s what you have to.

[0:35:48.3] You’re doing that. And this, when you’re thinking that, when you’re doing that when you’re meditating bring that up with you. Bring that up with you. When you bring that up with you, and saying, why you doing that? Why you doing that? You really analyze your own thoughts and say, why are you doing this? That’s two answers you can get. Two answers you can get. One answer you can get it, normally what you get it, because I didn’t like it. I have to cut it. I have to make it feel it. I have to make the worst whatever I could I make it the sharpest. Right? That’s one answer. The another answer what you get is if I do that, that person will understand better and, and make a change in the person’s life. A many of the parents are using this to their children. Not, I’m not talking about the teenage children, I’m talking about little, little, little younger than that. And when you using those, and you use this because you want make them difference, you want make them change so you use that don’t you? I never been parent, so you people should know. You do that. I believe you do that. I believe everybody’s nice parents whenever they are.

[0:37:20.6] So, so you do that, If you’re doing that, the motivation of this particular action is compassion, caring. So it’s better. But if you’re thinking there, I have to be more smarter than that person, I have to be hurt her or him more than what I’m, the he or she’s doing to me and with that comparatative mind and with that thought if you’re hitting hard then it is totally negative. There’s no compassion for whatsoever. It is totally negative, there’s no love, there’s no caring. It is maybe originally somewhere it is love and turned into anger or whatever it is. So this is important. If when you meditate, you know where I told you the other day, the meditation 101, Buddhism 101 combine them together now. Make them. And use the, use the your knowledge, understanding as a mirror where you look. Let it reflect you. Let yourself see your own thoughts. Your thoughts is not, it is direct knowledge to you nobody is hidden it. You may hid it but nobody is hidden it. You knew it. So here you make difference to your life. If you’re aware of your thinking how you approaching what you’re doing, your motivation.

[0:38:56.5] The other day, I told you, if your motivation is good and you, you must keep the motivation love compassion and caring-oriented and then not to be weak and shaky in the business field, didn’t I tell you that the other day? I did. Some people didn’t like it, that’s fine. That’s, that’s their own right. But that’s how you move in combination of material and spiritual life together. But to make it work together you have to make your own love compassion strong. To make your own love compassion strong, you have to watch yourself, your thoughts and problems you recognize them. And we automatically have the negatives within our mind rather than positive because we’re so used to it. Used to it not from the childhood til now, I’m talking about a million years beyond our previous reincarnation period. We did the same thing. Otherwise, we will not be doing this right now. So it is definitely the sign that we did that million years before. So making correction of our negative habit of a million years, try to change it overnight it’s difficult, certainly difficult. And that’s why you need constantly repeating. That’s what I mean it, knowledge is not enough. Knowing it’s not enough, you have to practice. Practice here means you change your mind, you change your thoughts, you suddenly realize it flop again, so then turn it again. Let the hamburger cook both side. Flip over again. That’s what you do. If you cannot flip over again, then you’re going to burn in one side. So you must flip over again. So try to make it work.

[0:40:58.8] Try to make it work. If you have to do three hundred times again and again in one minute, even then it’s okay. Nothing’s wrong. We fail all the time in our- this is where people have difficulty. You try once, try two, try three, try four times well, I tried, doesn’t work. I give up. Don’t give up now. You came so far in this life, this much, this opportunity, this much understanding, don’t give up. Try again, and again, and again, and again, and again, doesn’t matter. Try again. That’s what you have to do. Really true. Really true. This is absolutely true. And once you really build the ground of love compassion caring, caring, then whatever you do, whatever you do, it will work well. Work well. In Tibet, in my personal experience, number of teachers that I had, I have a great many teachers. There a number of teachers who beats me all the time. Beats me all the time. All the time. (Laughter). Yeah. Not a, not a, not a simple beating, is a big beating you know. Really they do, they do.

[0:42:21.5] Not a simple beating. I’ve been beating from, you may call this child abuse. (Laughing) By age four, to almost fourteen, sometimes I can’t even ride a horse because it’s been, I been lashed so there a lot of cuts and wounds, so if I sit on the horse the horse jump and it is hard so I stand up on the horse, you know (Laughs) a little kid can stand on horse, that’s okay. So I did that. But, but the motivation of doing that to each and every one of those teachers are totally making difference to me. Making me useful for you people now. For that reason they beat me. (Laughs) Sorry. True. But it’s a beating. But it’s for beating, but that beating, that beating is beating. It’s not child abuse. The motivation is nothing for these teachers to gain for themselves, nothing. There’s it’s not in control issue. It’s not nothing. It’s simply they wanted to make a nice correction. That’s what it is. (Audio cuts) [0:43:53.9] I consider that as compassionate act, yes. It’s definitely a compassionate act.

[0:44:03.0] I used to have one teacher who will beat me two, three, will hit me, you know, sort of half not, not nicely you know. Sort of kick there and then cry himself. I have that too. So these things shows you, how much they had to do it. I might have been a naughty guy you know, so whatever, whatever the reason may be so, so, so, so, so that how it work. It is very important in the motivation. The motivation. So that’s why, when I see some, some parents try to correct the children and doing that sort of, I don’t, I’m not encouraging you beat children, okay don’t think that way. But when there is a motivation of care and compassion so it’s not that bad of a black negative karma it’s that way. Let’s put that way. And I’m going to end this funny talk whatever I’m doing here. So the next question comes, how long one should meditate the love and compassion? Is there any number of hours or weeks or years? The Buddha said, you should meditate love and compassion til you get the result. Did you get that? Til you get the result. What result?

[0:45:32.6] Actually, meditation on love is one of the biggest protection. Biggest protection. It is far better than a hundred thousand talisman. You know what talisman is? So, here you don’t have much problem. When you when I went to the southeast Asia, sometimes I will see very strange people you know. Last year when I was in Malaysia and there are some kind of funny initiations almost every evening. So anyway, when those initiations there thousand people, fourteen hundred, fifteen hundred people comes, and they will line up, they don’t listen to you much and they only care whatever you hit on the head and drink something or eat something. And some kind of a blessing they needed. And then many of them will come up and you know, then they will take the blessing physically, that’s okay. You know you see in their face they’re suffering their pain, you can really see them in the face. And when they come up with some kind of hope of relieving something, you see that.

[0:46:44.8] But some people, they came up with bag and the briefcase comes up you know and they don’t care for themselves much, they, their main thing is the blessing must go in the briefcase and bag you know they put that on my table and open it up like this, there will be, there will be, be you know, couple of hundred different talismans collected from all over you know wherever you can see the images Buddha and Hindus and this and that and chakras and yantras and tantras and everything they and then you look at the person, I did that and I look at the person is wearing a big gold chain and rings and everywhere. So obviously you know what the guy is actually he’s totally thing is protection, you know, the bulletproof protection that’s what he wanted. (Laughing) So the true bulletproof protection we get is from love. If you meditate love and compassion, that is the direct cause to get true bulletproof protection, talisman. Are you with me?

[0:48:02.1] How many people have seen the movie called Little Buddha? Woo. Roomful. So in that I like one scene. I like the scenes in Bhutan. I like the scenes in, I also like the Indian version of the Buddha’s life. If you notice in there, the Buddha sits under the tree, and there’s so many different maras, or the evils, or the devils, whatever you call it. Comes in and attacking the Buddha. Do you, do you remember that? Attacking the Buddha, then what happens? Audience: (Inaudible) [0:48:52.5] He sees himself. Rimpoche: No. (Audience laughs) All these arrows and knives, and all the whatever they’re throwing within certain, within certain layer it change into flower. Didn’t you see that? Yeah. Remember? Thank you. So what makes them change into flower? It is the meditation on love and compassion. That is the result. That is the best result changing all these negative things they throw at you is, becoming flower. That’s the big difference. That is the result of love and compassion. So you meditate til that becomes flower. That’s up to that what you meditate. If you cannot, the second level, if you can’t reach that far, what is the second category? Second category is, is they should not be, even it comes and throws at you they could not really hit you. Skidded somehow, somehow they miss it. They don’t harm you. They don’t reach you.

[0:50:18.2] People in Jewel Heart, we have to say we’ve been very fortunate. Two or three years ago, one of our friend, or student, who is from Malaysia came up to our winter retreat and he is, he is great kung fu teacher, kung fu teacher master. But not, that’s not his profession. His profession is business chief executive of FN, FNM that includes Coca Colas and everybody, Pepsi gone out or something, otherwise almost all American food supplies going in that side are all combined together, have a big company. So he’s the chief executive for Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Island, and Nepal and India and all this. That is his profession. And he came, he come he’s a tiny little guy, a number of people seen him, tiny little one and he said, and he does, he shows he always shows this kung fu demonstration in our, whenever he comes. He does, he’s very good in that. But that day he said, well, I normally don’t do that and today I feel good or something he said, remember? He said this is, I will sit down here, and then I have a little platform that time, sitting on the platform, he sitting near the platform down on the floor on the ground.

[0:52:00.5] He said, I like to sit down, then I call anybody whoever strong person may be come and hit me as much as you can. Hit on my head, he said, as much as you can. And suddenly, we have another person from Akron, right? You’re there, right? From Akron, Ohio. He is a karate teacher, whatever black belt or red belt, or one of the top teachers and huge guy, you know? Huge guy, and he volunteered. (Laughing) And I was worried. And he came up and he sat down like this and he didn’t sit down corr- just sort of, sort of, very funny way he sat down like that, doesn’t even touch completely, you know relax you know sort of funny way sat like this. And he said, now hit. And I looked and this guy’s going like this you know (Audience laughing) and I said, I said, don’t hit hard. (Laughs) Don’t hit hard. And both of them disturbed and they sort of give me funny look little bit, and then they sat again and all this, and then they did it. And then he hit with all, all the forces on his. And just before this much before it hit here and the hand went up this way. But I heard the noise, bung! And the people in front said did he close his eye? No, I don’t think so.

[0:53:34.5] They said he did not even close his eye, he sat like this. And then later he explained. He said I put all my forces pushed together, it went. He said just before reaching there he said, as though I was walking in a storm you know, lot of you know the storm within the water what you call those? Audience: A strong and stream (?) [0:53:59.4] Rimpoche: A strong and stream which has a lot of thing, mach(?) [0:54:02.3] so you skate. So he said, just before I reach there it’s somehow felt like that, and hand went that way. And that’s, that is we have seen it in our Jewel Heart winter retreat. Many of them seen it. So that is, whether he’s the love and compassion result or kung fu result, or whatever it may be. But the second level of even the force comes and not harming yourself, it just skidded something. That is the second example. The first is a Buddha’s, that is second example. Even we can’t get that, you know even we can’t get that, the third example is the story that Ram Dass shared with me. Ram Dass shared a story.

[0:54:55.4] He said, he was in Harvard at that time, professor Alf- Richard Alfred or something, right? Huh? Audience: Alfred. Rimpoche: So anyway, he has those normal usual trips, you know and he had miscalculated day it is the Rosh Hashanah. Audience: Rosh Hashanah. Rimpoche: Rosh Hashanah period. A the Jewish holiday, right? The new year period. So he has miscalculated, he supposed to go for home for dinner, that sort of must by being a Jewish. So was miscalculated the day and he has to get up and go so he said he is going like this. And totally. And he said he tried to shave but he cut himself lot and everywhere and he even said when he was driving the, the, the steering is like a snake going round there. (Laughing) Anyway finally he reached, to cut long story short, and finally he reach home safely and then there’s a dinner. Dinner they have to sit down together and he said I forgot whether- I don’t remember whether he said brother or sister, one of them sitting across from him and he sit on this side on the table. And they’re talking, they must be complaining right? They must be saying something.

[0:56:23.3] He said, he doesn’t see anything except he said a lot of little arrows, you know like the dart you throw, lot of little arrows coming out of his mouth like this. So every time when they each arrow comes, he pick it up and put it on the plate, picked it up and put it on the plate. So that’s what he said. And that’s what his one of experience he shared me. That may be due to the chemical or whatever it may be, but similarly, similarly what happened is, if you meditate love and compassion strong enough at least the third result, even somebody come and hit you they won’t be able to wound you. On that is the example of not being able to wound you, no matter how many darts been throwing from the mouth of whether brother or sister, I forgot, throwing there, but each and every one of them he been able to pick it up and put it on the plate. So sometimes the chemical effects will give you little glimpse in the spiritual field what you can really achieve. The chemical things can give you glimpse and you get fallback. The spiritual developments you don’t get fallback, you remain there. That’s difference.

[0:57:43.0] So that is the answers the question what I raise to myself, how long do you supposed to meditate love and compassion. Any of those three result. If you get the best one, Buddha-like, if you don’t get the best one Buddha-like, get the second one, Ping Kong-like. If not, you get- the guy’s name is Ping Kong, that’s why I said Ping Kong-like. If not gets the Ram Dass-like. So that’s, that may be the chemical influence or whatever it may be, but, but to the spiritually you have to get that level. So when you get that, your love, your compassion is working. Until then, we’re acting. We’re pretending. That’s how we do, you know? That’s how we meditate. That’s how we do everything. We try to pretend to do. And then correct our self, nice way to pretend. Mentally, physically, emotionally. And then it’s becomes real thing. And that is the actually Vajrayana style. Vajrayana does that. Since you are connected with the Vajrayana, this is not Vajrayana we’re talking, but Vajrayana-oriented we’re talking. So even you do that way it will become materialized one day. That is Vajrayana commitment. When it’s become materialized and then it’s perfect.

[0:59:24.1] That’s what love and compassion really is. I’m afraid I don’t have time to add up the wisdom part on that, but will be very short one next time, I will do that. If you have any questions. Sir? Audience: You mentioned something two weeks ago that brought a great laugh from the audience and you referenced it again today. Rimpoche: What is that? Audience: Two weeks ago you said in business the Buddhist is a killer and today- do you recall saying that? Rimpoche: I didn’t say Buddhist, Buddhist is killer, did I? Audience: I believe you did. Rimpoche: Or I can turn the tape around. (Laughs) Just joking. But you know, I’d like to see what I said I what, huh? Audience: He didn’t say a killer, he said you have to be killer. Rimpoche: That’s right. You have to be killer. Audience: Okay, well still, that’s fine. Rimpoche: Okay. That I said. Yeah. Audience: How do you reconcile that with the idea of love and compassion? Rimpoche: Oh! That’s no contradiction. What do you see the contradiction? Audience: Well the idea of killer doesn’t have much compassion, unless of course you come from a background of being beaten. Rimpoche: (Laughs) Well, I am from the background being beaten. (Audience laughing) Didn’t you hear that the idiotic compassion I been talking long time here? (Audience: (Inaudible) [1:00:50.3] I’d like to think so. Rimpoche: Idiotic compassion. Idiot compassion. Audience: Idiot? Rimpoche: Yeah. Audience: Compassion? Rimpoche: Mm-hmm. There is something called idiot compassion too. I think I did talk here, didn’t I? Yeah I did. So that’s answers your question. (Laughing)

[1:01:15.6] Yeah, Robert? Audience: I just want to comment about the thing about the beating that you talked about if I understand (Inaudible) [1:01:26.3] It’s really popular kind of saying when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. But I think there’s a lot of places where if you have a good student you’re going to get the teaching even if a bad teacher’s there. I mean I think that’s, that’s really where a lot of people get lot of bad experiences there, you know they can’t afford the good karma for a teacher, but if you have a good student lot of people get beaten and don’t get a teaching. (Inaudible) [1:01:49.2] If you’re a good student you’re going to get the teaching if you have a bad teacher. I think that’s what (Inaudible) [1:01:57.4] Rimpoche: Robert you know that. You can’t really say the teachers are automatically guaranteed to be- because you know, people do have a lot of feelings that. If you say if you’re ready, teacher will appear. Number of people told me number of times. But that’s, that not necessarily correct. But when every karmic, every karmic condition is correct, then of course there will be teacher will appear. However, but it is very hard. It is extremely hard. Naropa did not find Tilopa easily. Tilopa did not find. Marpa did not find Naropa, Naropa did not appear to Marpa, no. With great hardship. So does Mila. Oh, talking about beating, think about Mila, my god. Think about Mila. Mila and Marpa. So it’s not necessarily that really appears. I think one has to be very fortunate. Thank you.

[1:03:05.4] Audience: If one understands karma, the teaching’s always present. Rimpoche: Teachings are? Audience: The teacher may not be present, but if one, if one awakens to their karma, whether their exact situation where they are, the teachings are present. Rimpoche: Teachings are everywhere, but whether the teaching works for the individual or not depends on the teacher’s relationship. And connection. Sir? Yes? Audience: Yeah, you know just return to that question about business. Rimpoche: Yeah, here we go. Audience: Like business is like Exxon oil, like they’re releasing a whole bunch of oil into- wait, just let me finish though, okay? Into the ocean and destroying like many, many creatures, businesses like slaughterhouses ruining the topsoil of businesses like Terraquat (?) [1:03:53.1] and DDT being sold and used and other pesticides being used and help to destroy, not only creatures in the earth but also the cycles we’re involved in and help decrease our health, all that’s involved with business just- I think, I think these talks have been great for like a humanistic point of view just looking at like, the human being, but in terms of like relating it to the rest of creation and to the environment that’s I think where this other gentlemen and myself and a few other people have had just some, some questions but their waiting to see if that’s going to like blossom out in the compassion part or not, but business is definitely involved with killing, enslaving, displacing a whole bunch of creatures and creation.

[1:04:33.9] And so, you know like Schumacher (Inaudible) [1:04:37.0] is beautiful, whole bunch of other people during the 60s, 70s, and 80s are talking about minimizing our impact. We’re all murderers, no doubt about that. Just by, just by our involvement with industry. We’re all killers. So, but people have been emphasizing on minimizing that our exploitation of other creatures and some people have the vision or the dream, some people might not, but idiot compassion, I don’t think so, I think it’s just like I think it’s really at the heart of what it means to have compassion for all sentient beings. So I have that vision, as many religions, do that eventually we can work things out so that we don’t have to exploit any other creatures, whether on land, sea, air you know that we can live actually in harmony with them not dominate them or subdue them or any of that sort so, so that those questions do need to be addressed you know, cause that compassion, lot of creatures are being killed and displaced and enslaved, oppressed by industry every day. Rimpoche: I agree with you. I didn’t say every, every business is a great business. I’m talking about individual person’s responsibility and what one’s supposed to do.

[1:05:47.3] And I didn’t say every business is great. I didn’t say that. And what I’m basically telling you is, when you, by being a Buddhist, by being a compassion love-oriented, one shouldn’t be weak in any other function that one has to function, in business particularly. I didn’t say every business is a great thing. There are number minimization of the harming and all this are definitely requirement. There’s nothing going, there’s no excuse for whatsoever. From the ecological point of view, everything is extremely terrible, there is no doubt about that. There’s no question about that. I’m not. I’m not disagreement with you at all from that angle point of view. From the angle point of view what I’ve been saying is, whatever your responsibility of the individual may be, individual, that individual responsibility in your work, in your serving people and even in business, in that because of the love and compassion you shouldn’t be weak. Even you’re fighting against the polluters or whatever you call it, and even then, one should be strong with the love and compassion. So the love and compassion is the material to make the individual strong, whatever you’re doing it rather than making it weak. That’s my main point. Lady over here, I’m sorry. You’ll be the last question, okay? Thank you.

[1:07:35.1] Audience: Still on this, on the business issue, the, the giants, the Buddhists in India who are I, I think are the strictest practitioners of (Inaudible) [1:07:46.8] non-violence are so concerned about, about the environment, about all beings in the environment, that they have devoted themselves to finding other ways of doing things that do not interfere with the environment. They do not wear silk because of the of the harm, you know that comes to the silkworm in order to produce silk, they don’t believe in that so they have designed a cloth that that replaces it that has the texture and whatnot, they have done many things like this and they are extremely wealthy as a group of people and they’re very active and successful in business because of, of their direction and because of their devotion to the environment and, and, and to all sentient beings in the environment and protecting them. So it is possible to, to, to practice very sincerely and very forthrightly as a Buddhist and also be very successful in the area of commerce. Rimpoche: Thank you. Thank you, really. I guess that’s it. So thank you so much.